Forage blower with pivoted feed trough



April 1, 1952 Q. c. DELSMAN ET AL 2,591,411

FORAGE BLOWER WITH PIvoTED FEED TRouGH 2 SHEETS- SHEET 1 Filed March 25,1949 IN V EN TOR April 1, 1952 Q. c. DELSMAN ETAL 2,591,411

FORAGE BLOWER WITH PIVOTED FEED TROUGH Filed March 25, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 f4"r r6@ 58 mwww @l f1 o MMM (50 4e, 'v1-M (45 7\.

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21 [V1 28 3558 I' d 42 f A l' k A o se 53 Ilm g 20 /55 55 o I i o 22 V e54 --rX- o A Trae/vf Y Patented Apr. 1, 1952 FORAGE BLOWER WITH PIVOTEDFEED THOUGH Quirin C. Delsman and Kenneth L. Sul-fus, Manitowoc, Wis.,assignors to Smalley Manufacturing Company, Manito of Wisconsin Woc,Wis., a corporation Application March 25, 1949, Serial No. 83,452

8 Claims. (Cl. 302--37) This invention relates to a forage blower withpivoted feed trough.`

It is an object of the vinvention to provide a novel and improvedarrangement whereby a forage blower with pivoted feed trough is soorganized as to facilitate the folding of ther trough respecting theblower during use and the folding of the blower respecting the troughfor transportation, the driving connections of the feed screw in thetrough being coaxial with blower shaft and including means for clutchingthe screw drive shaft in such a way as to assure the alignment of auniversal joint axis with the transverse folding axis of the trough whenthe trough is to be folded.` l

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide aiblowerframe with an axle and wheels so positioned as to be out of Vcontact.with the'ground during use of the blower and nevertheless available fortransportation when the blower is to be transported, there being a feedtrough pivoted to the frame and having a counter-balancing connectionwhich assists in lifting the trough when the blower frame is in positionfor use and assists in lifting the blower when the blower frame is beingtilted to position for transportation.

Another specific object of the invention is to provide the innermost oftwo coaxial shafts with a universal driving connection to the feed screwof the pivoted trough and, at a remote point, with a clutch which, whenengaged, assures that one of the transverse universal axes will line upwith the pivoting axis of the trough when the motion ofthe feed screw isarrested preliminary to the tilting of the trough.

In the drawings: j

Fig. lis a view in perspective showing our device as it appears inposition for use, a portion of `the blower wall and blower feed tablebeing broken away.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the apparatus in position fortransportation.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view throughthe blower and portions of thefeed trough in horizontal section.

Figui is a diagrammatic View of the driving connections in sideelevation.

The blower housing 1 is mounted on a frame 8 which includes legs 9 `andsupports on its forwardV pair of legs an axle l having road wheels Il.The Vposition of the axle is such that when the frame is in the positionshown in Fig. 1, the several legs resting on the ground, the axle IDandi Vroad `wheels Il are carried clear of the l2 ground. However, theframe 8 and blower housing 1 may be bodily tilted from the position ofFig. 1 to the position of Fig. 2 to rest upon, and be supported by, theaxle l!) for transportation. When the device is to be transported, atongue organization designated in Fig. 2 by reference character l2 ishooked over the axle and serves to provide connection with a towingvehicle.

Within the blower housing 1 is a fan l5-having a hub portion i6 mountedon a tubular shaft I1 which uis carried in bearings I8 from the frame 8.A sprocket I9 on the tubular shaft I 'l is driven by chain 20 fromsprocket 2| on the pulley shaft 22, the latter being provided with apulley at 23 for belt connection with a tractor or other extraneoussource of power.

Another sprocket at 24 on the pulley shaft 22 operates a chain 25 which,by means of sprocket 26, drives shaft 21 which is journaled within thesleeve shaft l1 and extends therethrough to a universal joint 28 for theactuation of the feed screw hereinafter described. Sprocket 26 is notmade fast to the inner shaft 21 but is connected therewith only throughthe medium of the shiftable clutch collar 29. The collar and the hub ofsprocket 2B have complementary teeth mating in the usual manner totransmit driving rotation of sprocket 26 to the clutch collar 29 andthence to shaft 21 when the collar is engaged with the hub of thesprocket. Fig'. 3 shows the clutch collar in its intermediate or neutralposition, permitting the sprocket 26 to idle on shaft 21. As is usual,the clutch collar 29 is peripherally grooved, being thereby adapted toreceive the shifting fork 30 at the end of clutch shifting lever 3|,whereby the clutch may be engaged and disengaged as desired.

Coaxial with shaft 21 is a stationary clutch element 32 fixed to theframe and provided with four jaws or teeth at 33, for which the collarhas complementary jaws 34. When the collar is shifted beyond the neutralposition of Fig. 3 into the ultimateposition in which it is shown inFig. 4, the driven` shaft 21, to which the collar is splined, will bebrought to rest positively at one ofthe four positions determined by thefour jaw teeth meshing between the collar and the stationary clutchelement 32, these positions having a significant relationship to thetransverse pintles of the universal joint 28.

The universal joint 28 is of a conventional type comprising twobifurcated members 35 and 3B and an intervening block at 31 which ispivoted by pintle 38 to the member 35 and by pintle 39 to the member 36.As is customary, the two pintles are at right angles to each other andlie in the same transverse plane normal to the inner shaft 21. Thedriven member 36 of the universal joint has'a shank 4B which isconnected with the screw shaft 4I about which the screw flight 42 iswound in the conventional manner.

At transversely aligned points on the frame 8, in the same transverseplane in which the uni. versal joint 28 is located, there are bearingsat 44 and 45 for rock shafts 46, 41 from which the arms 48, 4S supportthe feed trough 50.

The outer end of the feed trough is desirably closed as indicated at 5Iand it may be provided with a supporting leg at 52 which, when thedevice is in position for use as shown in full lines in Fig. 1, restsdirectly upon the ground. When the device is to be transported as shownin Fig. 2, the leg 52 rests on the tongue I2,

which is long enough to project slightly there--V beyond.

It will be observed that the open delivery end 53 of the feed trough 50terminates at some distance outwardly from the fan housing 1, as is bestshown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 3. When in position for use, however, it laps astationary feed trough or feed table 54 which is carried by the frame 8and leads to the eye or opening 55 through which the produce isladmitted to the fan. The length of the stationaryfeed trough or feedtable 54 is not so great but that any material therein will ordinarilybe picked`up by the air current entering the fan and dischargedpneumatically through the fan outlet pipe 55. Thus it is not necessarythat the feed trough 50, or the conveyor screw 42, extend .beyond thepoint indicated.

The arms 4S, 65 which support the feed trough from the frame aredesirably provided at points well above theaxes of rock shafts 46, 41with brackets or ears 53, 58 which serve as anchorages for the tensionsprings Se, 6I connected to the frame. These springs are relativelypowerful when distended as shown in Fig. l and Fig. 3 to provide a verysubstantial force tending to effect relative oscillation of the frameand trough about the common axis of the rock shafts 46, 41. While thesprings exert a very considerable counterbalancing tension in theposition in which the parts are shown in full lines in Fig. '1, thespring tension is relatively light, the coils being substantially fullycontracted, in the relative po. sition of the parts shown in Fig. 2.This latter position may be determined by stops 63 connected with theblower housing and engageablc with the feed trough as shown in Fig. 2.

To avoid the necessity of backingl up a truck or trailer loaded withproduce for the purpose of discharging its contents through its tailgate onto the feed trough 5i), the feed trough is raised y Y from thefull line position of Fig. 1 to the dotted line position shown inV thatview, thereby permitting the truck to pass to unloading position afterwhich the trough is lowered to receive the discharged contents of thevehicle. Such raising is facilitated by the counterbalancing springs 60and 6I and is made possible by the universal joint 28 and the stationaryclutch element 33 with which the shiftable clutch collar 29 is engagedto define a rotative' position of the screw driving shaft 21 such thatone or another of the pintles 38, 39 will necessarily be. aligned withthe comthrough the blower has been completed, theV clutch collar 29 willbe shifted to disengage the feed shaft 21 from its driving sprocket 26and to position of Fig. 3 into operative engagement with the drivingsprocket 26, whereupon the screw is set in operation Yto receive theproduce discharged from the newly positioned vehicle.

When thev work is completed and the apparatus is to be removed from thepoint of use, the detachable tongue element l2 is coupled to its axleand the trough 50 is lowered onto the tongue element. The operator willthen seize some convenient portion of the apparatus, as, for example,the projecting pulley 23 and, using this as a lever, he will lift theframe 8 to raise its legs 9 from the ground and to superpose its weightupon shaft I0 and the tongue l2. The engagement of the tongue by thecross bracing of the frame as shown in Fig; 2 locks the notched tongueon the axle. The stop members 63 also engage the feed trough for furthersupport for the blower'housing.

Y and this is assured, in both cases, by engagement mon axis ofoscillation of the rock shafts`46, 47

upon which the trough pivots in moving from its lowered to its elevatedposition. Accordingly, if

each time the delivery of one loadA of produce of the clutch collar 29with the stationary clutch element 32 whose jaws register withtherespective pintle positions toassure that the universal joint isproperly indexed. f

We claim:

1. A device of the characterV described' compris-'- ing the combinationwith a frame and a feed trough in pivotal connection for relativeyoscillation, the frame-being provided with stationary ground supportsand with anv alternatively useable wheel supported axle, the wheels andaxle' being disposed above the ground levell when said frame is carried`on said supports, the weight" of the frame being shifted to the wheelsupported axle upon therelative oscillation of the frame respecting thefeed trough, the pivotal connection between the frame and the feedtrough being adapted to permit of the elevation ofthe feed trough topermit the passage of a vehicle'arid'being also adapted to accommodatetheV pivotal movement of the frame respecting 'the feed trough for thetransferof frame lweight from said ground support tosaidwheelsuppor'tdaxle.

2. The combination set" forthV in clainl'fl.A inV 3. The device of claim2 in furthercoinbination with a tongue having means vdetachably engagedwith the axle andfof such length as toegitendlbeneath the feed trough toa position near the remote end thereof` for connection'with a towingvehicle, the said feed trough having a support engageable with thetongue to rest thereon, and the feed trough and frame being providedwith relatively engageable stop portions adapted when .the frame restson said wheel supported axle to sustain a portion of the frame weightfrom said tongue through said feed trough.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3 in which said iframe is providedwith a blower housing havingl an eye aligned with the feed trough, and afeed table xed to the frame :and leading from the feed trough to theblo-wer housing eye.

5. The device of claim 4 in further combination with a blower operablein the blower housing and provided with a tubular shaft, an inner shaftextending through the tubular shaft and provided with a universal jointin the same transverse plane in which the trough has its pivotalconnection with the frame, and a screw connected with said universaljoint to receive motion therefrom and operatively mounted in the troughfor propelling material therethrough toward said feed table and housing.

6. The device of claim 5 in further combination with driving connectionsto the respective shafts, the driving connection to said inner shaftincluding an idler on the shaft and a clutch element connected with theshaft and operatively movable thereon to and from coupling engagementwith said idler, the said frame including :a Q

stationary clutch element with which the clutch element rst mentioned isselectively engageable when disengaged from said idler, the said frameclutch element and the clutch element rst mentioned having complementaryteeth adapted to insure the proper orientation of said inner shaft anduniversal joint to permit the universal joint to pivot for accommodationof relative pivotal movement between said frame and trough.

7. A device of the character described comprising the combination with aforage crop blower including a housing, of a frame in which said housingis mounted, said frame including ground engaging portions upon whichsaid frame rests when said blower is in use, an axle provided withwheels and mounted adjacent ione end of the iframe in a positionnfsuchthat said. wheels are out of round contact when the frame rests uponsaid ground engaging portions, and a towing ytongue in detachablepivotal connection lwith the frame, said frame being tiltable bodilywith the said housing from a first position in which said groundengageable portions are in ground contact to a second position in whichsaid frame is rotated approximately to rest upon said axle and wheels, aportion of said frame including means engaging said tongue in the lastmentioned frame position to receive support therefrom.

8. The device of claim 7 in which said tongue is provided at laterallyspaced points with downwardly opening notches in which said axle isdetachably received, the said notched tongue portions and axle providingthe detachable pivotal connection of the tongue to the frame, and theweight of the frame superimposed in part on said tongue in the lastmentioned frame position beming adapted to maintain the tongue inengagement with said axle.

QUIRIN C. DELSMAN.

KENNETH L. SURFUS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,237 ,212 Loewen Aug. 14, 19172,180,838 Saiberlich Nov. 21, 1939 2,324,042 Swenson July 13, 19432,373,169 Coultas Apr. 10, 1945 2,447,300 Williams Aug. 17, 1948

